weekly recap: 8/10-8/16

We had a day of errands, and hanging out at home. Nothing too exciting, but we did pick up a great patio set on clearance and I got in a nice, long nap. I also finished up Beautiful Ruins. Loved it. I really didn’t think it was going to be quite my thing, but once I got into it (it’s the story of relationships, over generations and continents, set against the backdrop of the production side of the film industry, which is totally my jam), I had a hard time putting it down. Next up? The 100-Foot Journey.

Monday – 3.5 miles

Back in business! Since I bailed on a real long run last week, I wanted to make this one longer, but I have been struggling with exhaustion, and didn’t think I had it in me. I felt strong at the 3.5 mark so I called it good. And then counted down til nap time.

I got a wonderful view of the full moon on my way out.

And then the sunrise on my way back.

Tuesday – 3.1 miles

I hated to get up super early again, but I wasn’t sure I would get a chance later in the week if I wanted to do a long run (and by “if I wanted” I mean “since I had to”). It was a little tough, but I got it done.

Wednesday – sunrise yoga

P took us through a few different flows today, which would lead into some different and complicated poses. I have a few that really interested me, and I am going to work on making them happen. I have only been able to get in one practice a week, but hopefully, with the start of school, we can get back to a routine where I can be in the studio a little more.

Thursday – rest, arms

Since term is starting for little man next week, I had some things I needed to do at the school. Afterwards, we drove to Nana and Papa Bear’s house and visited with family before a quick lunch. I had to be back at school that night to do some volunteering, so Mr PugRunner and little man were on their own for the evening. We had some awful storms, but then we were treated to this amazing sight.

I was also able to work my arms a little – I have a set of 5 lb hand weights, and it seems ridiculous to leave them collecting dust, so I did a series to focus on biceps, triceps and shoulders.

Friday – rest

Well. Sort of. We had little man’s meet and greet with his new teacher, and then we packed up and went to the beach with family. We happened to arrive in the middle of a huge skim boarding competition. I’ve never seen anything like it! We had a blast watching.

In the meantime, Mr PugRunner made a detour to take Molly for her final follow up at the vet. If her eye still hadn’t healed, we were going to have to make a trip to the doggy ophthalmologist. Fortunately for everyone, the vet declared her all better!

Afterwards, we had a late lunch/early dinner and called it a night. We were in bed before 9:00 PM. I was really hoping to attempt a 9 mile long run on Saturday, but things were not in my favor. I was tired, hadn’t hydrated enough and had spent a lot of time out in the sun. Not a great combination for a long run. Mr PugRunner told me to play it by ear and see how I felt in the morning, so I agreed.

Saturday – 1.2 mile walk, arms

I did get up with the alarm at 4:50, but I had nothing to give, so I went back to bed. I ended up sleeping until almost 8:00, which is unheard of for me. I would have been in no condition for a long run, and would have to make up for it after a day of proper fueling and rest (Spoiler Alert: the long run happened on Sunday). In the meantime, we had a busy, busy, busy day ahead of us.

Little man was testing for his next belt in karate – yellow with white stripe. He has only been in karate since June, but he has been doing a great job and was invited to take the test to move up. I was so stinking nervous. My stomach was a mess all morning (also would have ended badly for me on a long run) and I just couldn’t get settled. The instructors and owners of the dojo are so awesome and great with the kids, but I had no idea how serious this was going to be. When I walked in and saw that the kids would be performing in front of an actual judge’s table, I broke into a sweat for them. Little man was cool as a cucumber though. He followed instructions, went through his maneuvers and was then lined up for the final challenge: breaking a wooden board with a stomp kick!

Say what?

All three of the kids testing executed the breaking of the board beautifully and they were asked to kneel, remove their white belts and then received their new belts. We couldn’t be more proud.

One of the instructors tied the old white belt around the pieces of broken board and suggested we write the date on it in Sharpie for a great memento for the trophy shelf. Brilliant.

We all went to lunch at a restaurant of little man’s choice with his grandparents (they were also there to see his triumph), and then hurried home to change into swimsuits for our neighborhood’s end of summer party. There was a DJ, face painter, hot dog truck and Mister Softee truck. The boys went over while I waited for some laundry to finish in the dryer, and then I walked down to meet them (.6 miles each way). In reality, I just wanted the ice cream, but I hung out with them for a bit and then we got our ice cream.

Neither little man nor I had ever had Mister Softee – it was heavenly. I am craving it and have to figure out a way to get the truck back to my house so I can have more.

After I walked home, I did another circuit of weights for my arms, and was ready for bed right around 9:00 PM. I was feeling better fueled, better rested and in a much better place to take on my nine miles.

So, all in all, another disappointing week in terms of mileage. It seems clear that I needed a bit of a break and that’s ok, but I’m hoping I can get back in the game. School starts back up again today so we will have a bit more of a routine in place, which will help with training and, consequently, motivation.

Go little man! My little man has been in karate since about June, as well — he’s still with his white belt (at four years old, he’s taking his time in learning what he needs for that first belt test), but he’s having a blast. At his stage, when he breaks a board, he does it with a hammer fist – and, I have to say that there are few things better than looking at his reaction after he’s broken a board.

Yay for happy puppy eyes. And more yay for getting back in the groove!

The past few weeks, I’ve, essentially, been a solo parent. Duffy went away for a family wedding, then performed in a Shakespeare performance, so it’s just been me & the kids at night, every night. This week marks the first time in a month that I’ll have support for bedtime. I’m HOPING to get myself up before dawn on Tuesday & Thursday to run 10-15k.

It’s hard not having that extra help, especially at bedtime. My little man is pretty good about going to sleep, but I definitely appreciate the extra adult. I have to figure out my running schedule this week. With back to school and Mr PugRunner’s schedule, it’s going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Nice work! You managed to get two runs in among all the other stuff going on, plus yoga and two arm days! Congrats to the little man, he should be super proud! I’m so happy to hear your girl’s eye is all better. It’s the worst when the dogs have an injury and you can’t explain it to them.
As for me, I’ve not had Mister Softee but I do know of it. And now I want some soft serve! Haha! Also, I ran zero miles this whole week/weekend. Hoping to get back at it tomorrow morning. I’ve been having the hardest time getting to bed before midnight, which makes getting up before 7 also a bit tricky. We’ll see how this week turns out.Stacie Seidman recently posted…Thursday’s Threads!

That’s awesome you found a deal on patio furniture/ I don’t know why, but when I moved out on my own, I was shocked how expensive outdoor furniture is! for some reason, it never occurred to me that it would be expensive!

That’s so fun you wandered into a skim boarding competition, when people are good at skim boarding, they’re GOOD and it’s so stinkin fun to watch!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

well, hello there…

Welcome to Runs With Pugs. My name is Jenn and this is the story of how a husband and wife started running together
with Couch 2 5K. I will share the ups and downs of our training for a half and a full marathon, as well as other
little peeks into our lives. Oh. We have pugs, too. Thank you for joining us! We're glad to have you along for the
ride!

archives

archives

disclaimer

I am not a doctor or medical professional, nor do I play one on the internet. This blog reflects my personal experiences on my own fitness and running journey, and the processes that work for me. Before you begin any exercise regiment, please consult your physician.